Waters (NYSE:WAT) Updates FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Waters (NYSE:WAT) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Monday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 14.300-14.500 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 14.290. The company issued revenue guidance of $6.4 billion-$6.5 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $3.4 billion. Waters also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 2.250-2.350 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WAT. Wall Street Zen cut Waters from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Waters in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Waters from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $480.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on Waters in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $423.00 price objective on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $399.12.

Waters Stock Performance

Shares of Waters stock opened at $381.95 on Monday. Waters has a 52 week low of $275.05 and a 52 week high of $415.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.11, a PEG ratio of 3.19 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $387.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $347.31.

Waters (NYSE:WAT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $4.53 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.50 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $932.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $928.17 million. Waters had a return on equity of 36.59% and a net margin of 20.89%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Waters will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WAT. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Waters by 2.9% in the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Norinchukin Bank The grew its position in shares of Waters by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 3,231 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $969,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC increased its stake in Waters by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 1,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in Waters by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,187 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,253,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Waters by 16.6% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $415,000 after buying an additional 160 shares during the period. 94.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Waters Company Profile

Waters Corporation is a global provider of analytical instruments, software and services for laboratory and research applications. The company designs, manufactures and sells technologies centered on liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, separation science, and related sample preparation and detection systems. Its product portfolio includes chromatographs, mass spectrometers, columns and consumables, laboratory informatics and workflow software, as well as technical support and training services that help customers run and interpret complex analyses.

Waters serves a wide range of end markets that include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, contract research and testing laboratories, academic and government research institutions, clinical diagnostics, food and environmental testing, and industrial and chemical manufacturers.